We hope Santa Claus was good to your family this year, but we also know that he can sometimes be clueless, especially about technology. (After all, if he knew how to program a GPS, he wouldn’t need Rudolph.) Quentin Fottrell looks at five popular high-tech holiday gifts to help you decide whether to keep them or take them to the returns department.

Also in today’s Personal Finance Daily, Andrea Coombes looks at whether the health reforms could help some older workers transition into jobs they like better. And Jeffry Bartash reveals which parts of the country might be getting a belated holiday gift in the form of a housing-market recovery.

Retire Here, Not There: South Carolina

Estate planning to care for your pets

Writing Fido into your will isn’t just for the Leona Helmsleys of the world. The right planning can help you make sure your pets don’t get neglected after your demise. Estate planning to care for your pets

ECONOMY AND POLITICS

Fiscal-cliff concerns sink consumers’ expectations

Concerns about what would happen without action on a budget deal likely spiked consumers’ expectations for the economy in the short term, sending overall confidence levels lower in December, according to Conference Board data. Fiscal-cliff concerns sink consumers’ expectations

U.S. jobless claims fall 12,000 to 350,000

First-time filings fall more than forecast for last week, but the decline may have been exaggerated by the Christmas holiday. Still, the one-month average of claims stands at the lowest since March 2008. U.S. jobless claims fall 12,000 to 350,000

Euro crisis may lead to ‘explosion of violence’

The brinksmanship by Angela Merkel and other leaders in the euro crisis carries considerable risk of a downward spiral that could end in an “explosion of violence,” writes Darrell Delamaide. Euro crisis may lead to ‘explosion of violence’

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